150 further Solaris for Warsaw

Solaris Bus & Coach will supply 150 further Urbino low floor city buses to Warsaw Municipal Bus Company (MZA). All 70 standard buses and 80 articulated buses will be air-conditioned and will comply with the Euro 4 emissions

standard. The new buses are to be delivered by January 2009 and will help to make public transport in the Polish capital even more modern and comfortable.

At 1 p.m. on 19 June 2008, the Mayoress of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, and Mieczysław Magierski, president of Warsaw Municipal Bus Company, signed a contract with Solange Olszewska, vice-president of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A., for the purchase of 150 Solaris Urbino buses.

The contract, valued at 160 million PLN (47.3 million EUR¹), encompasses 70 rigid Solaris Urbino 12 low floor buses and 80 articulated Solaris Urbino 18 low floor buses. All buses will be built and delivered to Warsaw by mid-January 2009.

"Today, there are already more than 600 buses on the streets of Warsaw which were built in our factory. We are proud that with these 150 new buses, Solaris will become the strongest brand in the MZA fleet," said Solange Olszewska, vice-president of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.

The Solaris buses ordered by Warsaw MZA are full low floor buses. With a combination of step-free entrance and additional kneeling suspension, they provide easy access for passengers impaired in their mobility and as such play a vital part in offering attractive public transport for all in Warsaw. All buses are air-conditioned throughout. For added passenger and driver safety, they are fitted with CCTV monitoring systems which record not only inside the vehicle but also monitor traffic around the bus. The new Solaris buses for Warsaw will have DAF diesel engines complying with the Euro 4 emissions standard.

The rigid Solaris Urbino 12 will offer comfortable space for 27 seated and 65 standing passengers, while the Solaris Urbino 18 articulated buses are ideally equipped for busy city routes with 42 seats and capacity for up to 121 standees.

Warsaw Municipal Bus Company (MZA) operates the majority of bus services in the Polish capital. A fleet of 1,400 buses serves 189 daytime and 36 night routes, clocking up 82 million passenger kilometres per year. MZA ensures reliable mobility for the citizens of Warsaw and its red and yellow buses are an integral part of the cityscape. Now, the 150 new Urbino buses will make Solaris an unmistakable face of the Polish capital.

¹ Official exchange rate of the Polish National Bank, 17 June 2008 (1 PLN = 3.3852 EUR).

Fot: R. Trzaska; From left to right: Solange Olszewska, Vice-president of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A., Leszek Ruta, President of Warsaw ZTM, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the Mayoress of Warsaw, Mieczysław Magierski, President of Warsaw Municipal Bus Company.